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Atlanta
''Area and Location Atlanta is the capital and the most populous city of Georgia. Its total area is 343.0 km2 (341.2 km2 -land and 1.8 km2 -water). The city is situated 320 m above mean sea level. It has the highest average elevation of any major city east of Denver. Population The city’s population of 537,958 (according to the 2008 American Community Survey) includes: African Americ ans - 55.8% White Americans - 38.4% American Indians - 0.2% Asian Americans - 1.9% Pacific Islander Americans - 0.1% other race - 2.6% individuals from two or more races - 1.1% Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 4.9%. 12.8% of the city's total population is gay, lesbian, or bisexual ,and these are the statistics that gave Atlanta the bronze medal in the United States. It has the 12th highest proportion of single-person households. The capital of Georgia is the 13th fastest growing city and it has also the fastest growing millionaire population in the United States Economy '''Major Industries and Commercial Activity' Coca-Cola Company wields considerable influence, but no single industry or firm truly dominates the local economy. In Atlanta, the big corporations are BellSouth, Delta Airlines, Home Depot, UPS, and Georgia-Pacific. Items and goods produced: metals, machinery, transportation, equipment, food and beverages, printing, publishing, textiles, apparel, furniture, telecommunications hardware, steel, chemicals. Atlanta is a strong pro-business state. ''Architecture The best view of Midtown Atlanta is from Piedmont Park. Sit in the Park Tavern (500 10th Stat the corner of 10th and Monroe) and enjoy watching the evening unfold as skyscraper lights turn on. The Grand Da me of Atlanta architecture continues to be the Westin Peachtree Plaza. Built in 1976, the shining round glass structure was for years the tallest building in the Southeast, at 73 stories. While other buildings are now taller, the shimmering glass cylinder still stands out among the crowd. As for neighborhoods, a teardown trend has resulted in what locals ruefully call "McMansions." These oversized single-family homes are sprinkled among 1,900 smaller, quaint bungalows for which the area is known. The Victorian neighborhoods of Inman Park and Grant Park survived both of Atlanta's major fires, so visiting these areas is like stepping back in time. Education In the city, we can find more than 30 institutions of higher education such as: - Georgia Institute of Technology (in the top ten public universities) - Georgia State University - The Atlanta University Center is the largest consortium of historically black colleges and universities in the country. Its members include Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College ,Spelman College, and the Interdenominational Theological Center. - Morehouse School of Medicine ,The Savannah College of Art and Design - John Marshall Law School, the Reformed Theological Seminary and Javelin Technical Training Center. - Emory University, an internationally prominent liberal arts and research institution that has been consistently ranked as one of the top 20 schools in the United States. http://www.city-data.com/city/Atlanta-Georgia.html Night-life The city is known for having more bars than houses of worship. Atlanta nightlife embraces coffeehouses to sports bars and high-energy dance clubs with electrifying rhythms for gays, lesbians and straights. At Buckhead’s Chastain Park Amphitheatre, music lovers show up with picnic baskets and candelabras to applaud artists. Underground Atlanta sizzles at night, and The Atlantic Station opened in 2005, reclaiming Midtown’s Atlantic Steel Mill site with a two-story movie theater, celebrity-attracting restaurants, retail and other entertainment. The Tabernacle’s five-levels with a restaurant host artists from Bob Dylan to LL Cool J The Rialto Center for the Performing Arts at Georgia State draws crowds to downtown’s historic Fairlie-Poplar district. Centennial Olympic Park, also downtown, hosts the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. HiFi Buys Amphitheatre showcases Aerosmith to Jimmy Buffett. Philips Arena features acts from Cher to Z.Z. Top The Masquerade features live music and a dance club, and other big draws include 9 Lives Saloon, Buckhead Roxy, the Brandy House, Smith’s Olde Bar, Cotton Club, Earthlink Live, Eddie’s Attic, and Blind Willie’s. In May, Atlanta gives the nation’s largest free jazz extravaganza, the Atlanta Jazz Festival. History In the territory of Atlanta, once there was a Native American village called Standing Peachtree. The land that became the Atlanta area was taken from the Cherokee and Creeks by white settlers in 1822, with the first area settlement being Decatur. During the American Civil War, Atlanta served as an important railroad and military supply hub. In 1864, the city became the target of a major Union invasion. The major wars for the land were the Battle of Peachtree Creek, the Battle of Atlanta, and the Battle of Ezra Church. Mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city, and on September 7 1864 Sherman ordered the civilian population to evacuate. He then ordered Atlanta burned to the ground on November 11 in preparation for his march south, though he spared the city's churches and hospitals. During World War II, manufacturing such as the Bell Aircraft factory in the suburb of Marietta helped boost the city's population and economy. Shortly after the war, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was founded in Atlanta. In the 1960s, Atlanta was a major organizing center of the Civil Rights Movement, as Dr. Martin Luther King and students from Atlanta's historically black colleges and universities played major roles in the movement's leadership. Two of the most important civil rights organizations, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, had their national headquarters in Atlanta. The 1996 Summer Olympics took place in Atlanta. In 2009, Atlanta's Virginia-Highland became the first carbon-neutral zone in the United States. Sports Teams - The Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball - The Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League - The Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association - The Atlanta Flames played ice hockey in the National Hockey League (NHL) (moved to Canada due to financial reasons) - The city was also home to the Atlanta Silverbacks of the United Soccer Leagues First Division (men) and W-League (women) - The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (collegiate athletics) Atlanta is home to two of the nation's Gaelic Football teams, Na Fianna Ladies Gaelic Football Club and Clan na nGael Ladies Gaelic Football Club. Current issues Finally, let's have a look at nowadays' life in Atlanta... '''Capitol Rally Calls For Cigarette Tax Hike' Group: Tax Would Bring In $354 Million Every Year POSTED: 11:29 am EST March 8, 2010 ATLANTA -- '''More than 100 anti-smoking advocates and healthcare workers rallied at the state Ca pitol Monday, calling for a $1-per-pack increase in the state tax on cigarettes to help close a growing budget shortfall.Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, national deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, said Monday that the tax hike would raise an additional $354 million for the state every year while at the same time decreasing the number of Georgians who light up.Rep. Ron Stephens, a Savannah Republican, is sponsoring the cigarette tax hike bill. He said it would help offset staggering smoking-related health costs in the state. Georgia currently slaps a 37-cent tax on cigarettes, one of the nation's lowest. '''Angry Teachers Rally At Capitol Educators Ask Lawmakers Not To Cut Education Budget By Steve Kuzj, CBS Atlanta Reporter POSTED: 6:34 pm EST March 12, 2010 '''ATLANTA -- '''Gloomy weather didn’t stop upset teachers from marching around the state Capitol Friday, and neither did excuses from lawmakers who say education will take cuts to cover billions in deficits. About 100 teachers marched on Georgia’s Capitol to deliver a message to lawmakers. They said massive cuts to education are unacceptable for the sake of the state’s children and students. “Georgia ranks below more than 45 states in reading scores, math scores and SAT scores,” said Georgia Federation of Teachers President, Verdaillia Turner. Georgia schools’ poor national ranking is one reason angry teachers protested in the Capitol halls. They said with billions of cuts on the way for Georgia’s schools, the state will drop even lower in education rankings. “state must prioritize education. Prioritize our children and look at the future of Georgia. They’re putting the future of Georgia at stake with this budget,” said Turner. The state is short billions of dollars and the budget is not a simple fix, so we asked teachers the tough question: “What’s their solution?” “Lawmakers keep telling you there’s no money. We’re saying there is money,” said Turner. “Unless they’re going to shut the entire state down, they can take $25 million from their goldfish pond and never dig it. ”Turner gave multiple examples of what she said is wasteful spending, but with more than 50 percent of state spending already going towards education, lawmakers claim the solution will take more than putting off less important projects to prevent all cuts. Students could be some of the most hurt by education cuts. Teachers said specific classes, like Spanish could be removed from schools curriculum, damaging students’ chances of getting into a good college. “Your child needs three years of their language and they get through their second year and then they’re told, ‘We’re not going to offer that for your third year, so too bad.’ How does that affect them getting into college? They’re not going to go to UGA without three years of a foreign language,” said high school Spanish teacher Carrie Gutierrez. Senators on the state’s Education Committee told CBS Atlanta News there are a few options left to help schools deal with budget shortfalls. One includes using more than $1 billion from emergency funds set aside by the school districts.